The Boston Celtics suffered a tough 112-105 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Monday night. With Jaylen Brown shouldering the burden of the loss, Derrick White stepped in to defend his teammate following an impressive individual performance.
After the loss to the Pistons, Jaylen Brown critiqued his performance. Although he posted a game-high 34 points, the Celtics star commented on the game, saying:
“It was a physical game. I thought we met the challenge, physicality-wise. I thought we rebounded, protected the paint, all those good things that were signs that we were meeting the physicality. We’ve got to be better. I’ve got to be better. I wasn’t good enough for my team tonight. So that’s on me.”
Following the result, Jaylen Brown also commented on the areas that he believed he could improve upon. While speaking with the media on the matter, he explained:
“Just the mind. Especially in the fourth quarter. Just some mindset plays. A foul, I’m staying down on the shot fake. I had a turnover in the fourth, too many missed free throws. Mentality-wise, mindset-wise, I need to be more for my teammates, and I wasn’t tonight.”
While Brown’s statement acknowledges the team’s effort, it tends to take a less forgiving approach when considering his own. On this note, Derrick White addressed his teammate’s contributions by stating:
“I think that’s kind of what makes it special. 30 something [points] and he still wants to do better for us… He’s probably his toughest critic, and we know that he’s going to bounce back and continue to do special things for us.”
“Obviously, this loss isn’t on him,” White added. “It’s on all of us. We’ve got his back, and that’s just the kind of guy he is.”
Jaylen Brown Carried The Celtics Against The Pistons
Jaylen Brown was undoubtedly the Celtics’ best performer on Monday night. Along with his 34-point outburst, he also contributed with eight rebounds, seven assists, a steal, and three blocks. He was closely supported by Derrick White, who posted 31 points, six rebounds, one assist, a steal, and a block.
Although Brown was tremendous on both ends of the floor, he made some costly errors down the stretch. Having notched four turnovers, an untimely shooting foul, and an ironic pair of missed free throws down the stretch, it is understandable why he thinks he cost the Celtics the game.
However, the loss to the Pistons wasn’t purely a function of Jaylen Brown’s errors. Despite Brown and White combining for 65 points, the team struggled offensively, highlighting some major flaws in their rotation. With virtually no significant contributions from the bench (14 points combined), the Celtics find themselves facing some serious questions regarding the roster as the trade window opens.
Since their five-game winning streak came to an end, the Celtics have looked vulnerable. Currently on a two-game losing streak, Boston will look to turn things around and return to winning ways as it heads into its next matchup against the Miami Heat on Friday, Dec. 19.
